This specification relates to search engines.
A user of a mobile device may enter query terms by, for example, typing on a keyboard or speaking a voice query into a microphone. In transcribing a voice query for a search engine, an Automated Search Recognition (“ASR”) engine may attempt to eliminate or reduce the effect of a user's accent, by treating the accent as though it were noise. In doing so, the ASR engine shields the accent from the search engine.